HEALTHY EATING WITHIN A BUSY LIFESTYLE
Do you rush to grab something to eat on the way to work?
Do you find yourself skipping meals because you don’t have enough time for a
break?
Do you find it hard to eat healthily with your busy lifestyle? You are not alone.
THE FACTS
Australians spend about one-third of their household budget on convenience foods
such as takeaway and supermarket ready-to-eat meals.
Although these
convenience foods are handy, they tend to be more expensive and are notoriously
higher in fat and salt (1). When in need of something quick and easy to eat, it is also
more likely that we make poorer nutritional choices than usual. However, with preplanning, clever shopping and time saving strategies, you too can succeed in having
nutritious and tasty meals without draining time from your busy day. Make healthy
eating a priority and you will find yourself more alert, energetic and productive.
BREAKFAST
• Always eat breakfast – Breakfast really is ‘the most important meal of the
day!’ It boosts your metabolism, provides you with the energy to get through
your day, improves concentration and helps prevent you snacking on ‘junk
food’ later in the day. There is no excuse for skipping breakfast! It’s one of
the fastest and easiest meals we can have, and one of the best changes you
can make.
• High fibre is the way to go – A high fibre breakfast will give you longer
lasting energy; boost your long term health; and help keep you regular.
Boost the fibre content of your breakfast by including foods such as
wholegrain bread, high fibre cereal, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, seeds,
psyllium husks, oats and/or bran.
• Eat on the run – Having something for breakfast is better than having
nothing at all. If you struggle to squeeze in a proper breakfast, pack a
portable breakfast to have on your way to work or once you arrive at work.
Healthy options include breakfast bars, yoghurt, fruit, breakfast drinks (e.g.
Sustagen or Up ‘n Go), fruit bread or a low-fat bran muffin.
• Quick and easy breakfasts - Quick cooking oats; cereal & low fat milk; a
smoothie; fruit; low-fat yoghurt; English muffins; fruit toast; creamed corn or
baked beans on toast.
LUNCH
• Pack lunch the night before – To solve the problem of soggy sandwiches,
you can pack the sandwich fillers separately and assemble when ready to
eat.
• Make use of leftovers – Leftovers are a very quick and easy lunch option.
Try cooking an extra portion at dinner time and packing it into takeaway
container for the next day.
• Choose a variety of foods from the 5 food groups – Choose wholegrain
carbohydrates + a protein source + vegetables/salad + a low-fat dairy
product + fruit.
DINNER
• Have a cook-up on the weekend – On your least busy
day try cooking a couple of different meals, portioning into
takeaway containers and storing in the fridge or freezer for dinner on busier
nights when you don’t have time to cook.
• Frozen meals – Limit these to twice per week, because of their high salt
content. Choose low fat options & serve these meals with extra vegetables
or salad.
SNACKS
• Be prepared - Buy healthy snack-sized foods and store them in your home
& workplace for when you get hungry. Good ideas include baked beans,
tuna, tinned corn, low fat cheese sticks, rice crackers, corn thins, fresh or
tinned fruit, pretzels, sultanas, yoghurt, cereal bars, instant soups, raw nuts
& carrot/celery sticks with low fat dip.
FLUIDS
• Water is best – Your body needs at least 6 to 8 glasses of water every day,
to maintain your alertness, concentration and decision making abilities. You
need even more than this if you are active or if you work in air-conditioning.
• Always keep water with you - Keep a bottle of water on your desk at work;
in the car; and in your carry bags. This will help remind you to continue
sipping throughout the day.
• Avoid too much caffeine – Aim for no more than 400mg of caffeine (i.e. 2-4
cups of coffee) per day.
TIME SAVING TIPS
•
Stock your kitchen with long-life ingredients - e.g. long life milk, evaporated
milk, frozen & canned vegetables, rice, noodles, breakfast cereals, tinned
tomatoes, herbs, spices, vinegar, legumes and raw unsalted nuts.
•
Cook in bulk and freeze meal-size portions to have for lunch or dinner the
next week.
•
Invest in a cookbook filled with quick and easy recipes.
•
Make use of your microwave, blender and wok to whip up tasty meals.
•
Whip up a quick salad to serve with your meals. Salads are an easy way to
boost your fibre and vitamin intake and they take very little time to prepare.
•
Before shopping, pre-plan your meals for the week and shop accordingly,
so you don’t run out of essential ingredients such as fresh fruit/vegetables
by the end of the week and turn to inappropriate takeaway meals
QUICK & EASY MEALS
You can create quick & easy meals everyday with a well stocked
pantry and a bit of imagination.
• Stir-fry – use any variety of fresh vegetables (or frozen vegetables if you are
in a rush) and add lean meat, chicken or raw nuts. Create a great Asian
flavour with soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, lime juice, chilli, ginger and/or
garlic. Serve with Hokkein noodles.
• Fried rice - cook basmati rice and add frozen peas, corn kernels, red
capsicum, broccoli, mushrooms, diced lite ham & prawns. Flavour with
garlic, chilli & soy sauce.
• Mini pizzas – use wholemeal pocket bread as a base. Use toppings such
as with marinated chicken, lite ham, spinach, capsicum, mushrooms, pine
nuts or cashews, avocado, asparagus, Roma tomatoes, pitted olives,
pineapple & reduced fat cheese. Omelette – mix eggs, skim milk and some
reduced fat cheese. Add ham, tomato, mushroom, capsicum & spinach for a
great hearty meal.
• Hummus dip - puree canned chickpeas with garlic, lemon juice, & olive oil.
• Quick hearty soup - combine a can of crushed tomatoes, a can of chicken
soup, a can of canellini beans & some heated frozen vegetables.
• Seafood dip - mix a can of salmon or crab meat with low fat mayonnaise,
your favourite spices & fresh herbs.
• Homemade sorbet - freeze tinned fruit & puree in a food processor
just before serving.
• Pasta sauce – tinned tomatoes, mixed herbs, tinned tuna or beans plus
vegetables.
• Canned beans – these are a highly nutritious ingredient you can add
(straight from the can) to meals such as spaghetti bolognaise, lasagna,
cannelloni, chilli con carne, burritos, curries, soups & salads. Beans are very
low in fat, and a great source of protein and fibre.
• Canned tuna / salmon – a fantastic low fat, high protein addition to your
salads.
• Crackers – top grainy crackers with items such as cottage cheese,
avocado, lite ham, smoked salmon, tuna, tomato, hummus, cucumber,
baby spinach, olives, mustard, asparagus & pepper.
• Baked beans or poached eggs on toast – use grainy toast & serve with
grilled tomatoes or mushrooms
• Toasted sandwiches (use a non-stick pan or a thin spray of olive oil)
- tomato, low fat cheese, mushrooms & eggplant
- skinless BBQ chicken breast, herbs, tomato and low fat cheese
- fruit loaf with canned apples & a pinch of cinnamon
• Soup – have homemade or canned soup, served with a fresh wholegrain
roll.
• Salad – make these more appealing by adding nuts, seeds, four bean mix,
herbs, roasted vegetables, olives, fat free semi-dried tomatoes, grape
tomatoes &/or marinated mushrooms to fancy greens. Add lemon/lime juice,
garlic & balsamic vinegar as desired.
• Dip - dip raw carrot/celery sticks, snow peas, cauliflower pieces & strips of
oven baked pita bread in low fat hummus dip or natural yoghurt topped with
sweet chilli sauce.
FROZEN FOODS
Pre-prepared frozen meals are a very handy option when you
don’t have time to cook a normal meal. Many of them are low in
kilojoules (energy content) and therefore can help you in managing your weight.
These few tips will help you be able to include these within a healthy balanced diet:
•
Limit frozen meals to no more than twice per week, because of their high
sodium content.
•
There is no need to add salt to these meals, because they already have salt
(sodium) added to the meal for preservation and flavour purposes.
•
Choose frozen meals that are low in fat (i.e. less than 10g of total fat per
100g).
•
Serve your frozen meals with a salad or steamed vegetables to increase the
meal’s fibre and vitamin content, and to make the meal more filling for you.
•
Always ensure you have frozen vegetables in your kitchen as a back-up for
when you run out of fresh produce.
•
Frozen spinach, peas, corn and mixed vegetables are perfect additions to
meals such as spaghetti bolognaise, lasagna, curries, stir-fries and soups.
CANNED FOODS
Are canned foods okay?
Stocking your pantry with canned foods is a healthy back-up for when you run out of
fresh produce or need to prepare a quick and easy meal. Most canned foods do not
contain preservatives as they are instead cooked quickly at high temperatures and
sealed straight away in sterile containers to retain the food’s natural nutritional
value. Canned foods however do tend to have a high sodium (salt) content for taste
and preservation reasons, so it is best to choose low-salt products (especially if you
have high blood pressure or kidney disease).
Hints for storing and using canned foods
•
Check the ‘use by date’ before use. The shelf life is usually about 2 years as
long as they are stored in a cool, dry place.
•
Retain the nutritional value (i.e. the vitamin and mineral content). The best
way to heat canned foods is to microwave or steam briefly.
•
Be gentle because excessive stirring can cause canned fruit or vegetables to
fall apart.
•
Add canned vegetables last to recipes, to avoid overcooking and help retain
their taste, texture and appearance.
•
Once you open a can, store any un-used contents in a sealed container in the
fridge (but not for longer than 3-4 days).
Note: For more information and recipe suggestions for using canned food you can contact the Canned
Food Information Service Inc. or take a look at their website www.cfis.com.au
(1) Department of Human Services, Victoria. Better Health Channel. Cooking tips for busy people.
Retrieved 29, September 2003 from http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
Disclaimer
This fact sheet is provided for your information only and does not replace qualified medical advice. The
information provided may not apply to every person or all situations. A medical practitioner should be consulted
for all treatment and medication.
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